1:72 Mitsubishi A6M5 – Control surfaces for Hasegawa

Mitsubishi A6M5 1:72 - resin control surfaces (CMK)

Castings in modeling resin that replace the control surfaces of the plastic model of the Japanese A6M5 carrier-based fighter from Hasegawa in 1:72 scale. The separate surfaces can be fitted in a position other than the one the base kit offers and they have a more pronounced rendering of the covering. It is not a kit of the aircraft; it is an accessory that assumes a part-built plastic model.

The real subject

The A6M5 was the most numerous version of the Mitsubishi A6M fighter. Compared with the older standards it received a shortened wing with straight, unrounded tips and individual exhausts that added thrust. The structure as a whole remained exceptionally light, which gave the aircraft agility and range but at the same time meant a thin skin, and that is what matters for a model build, because the surface is to be fine and the surfaces thin at the trailing edges.

Building and painting tips

On this set it is wet sanding that decides. The trailing edges of the resin surfaces are sanded down sharp so that they do not look thick in 1:72 scale; wet the abrasive paper, therefore, and guide the surface across glass or another flat support. Wet sanding moreover binds the fine resin dust, which is not to be inhaled. Check as you go against the light: resin comes away faster than plastic and an over-sanded edge can no longer be made up. After sanding, rinse the parts so that no slurry stays in the structure, and let them dry before the base. The richer greens and grays of Japanese carrier-based aircraft hold better on a smooth undercoat, where they will not bring out any mark from the paper.

Who the set is for

• Modelers building the A6M5 in 1:72 scale
• Builders bothered by the thick trailing edges of plastic control surfaces
• Competition modelers and collectors of Japanese carrier-based equipment
• More experienced modelers used to sanding resin wet

The set is an accessory for a plastic kit, not a stand-alone model. It is supplied unassembled and unpainted; glue, paints and the base kit are not included in the package.